On June 7, 2023, tweets were shared with a video that allegedly represented a situation in Dnieper Hydroelectric Station after the Nova Kakhovka explosion that took place on June 6.
NEWS UPDATE NOVA KAKHOVKA EVENING JUNE 7
I don't know who's responsible for destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, but if you do what you can to worsen the situation and destroy the remnants of the dam, you're the prime suspect, not the victim. Ukraine keeps the gates at Dnipro… pic.twitter.com/WmQK2h0eZh— Mikael Valtersson (@MikaelValterss1) June 7, 2023
Some users claimed that the Ukrainian government "decided to purposefully drown their own citizens", keeping the gates at the river open and that it was a "clear indication that Ukraine on purpose worsen the situation and are also a clear indication that Ukraine was the original culprit." The same information was also reposted on various websites and forums outside of Twitter.
The video is authentic, but it was shared by a local media outlet back in April when massive floods occurred in Ukraine. Given the fact that the recording was published weeks before the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, we label this video as "Miscaptioned."
In April, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service reported on Telegram that several rivers had broken their banks, causing flooding in various regions of the country. Ukrhyfroenergo, the largest hydro power generating company in Ukraine, announced on April 18, exactly when the original video was posted on Instagram, that early snowmelt and rainfall were causing rising water levels.
Ukrhydroenergo continues to skip spring floods according to a balanced schedule. However, early snowmelt & rainfall is causing rising water levels on the #Dnipro and #Dnister cascade. Company stations provide a balancing and emergency reserve for the energy system of #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/qRVnaJtppX
— Укргідроенерго (@Ukrhydroenergo) April 18, 2023
What's more, a very similar video to the one in question was shared on TikTok on April 18, 2023.
The case was also investigated by Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist at BBC Verify, who underlined the fact that the post with a miscaptioned video was shared by many pro-Kremlin accounts.
This video is being shared widely by pro-Kremlin accounts as evidence that Ukraine was responsible for the damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam by keeping its gates open.
The clip is from April, reported by local outlets at the time, and shows high water levels due to spring floods. pic.twitter.com/k5cQiwnNih
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) June 9, 2023
Since the explosion of the Nova Kakhovka dam, we have fact-checked various rumors on the topic. On June 6, we reported on a video and pictures that authentically showed a flooded Nova Kakhovka Administrative District following the failure of the Novo Kakhovka Dam. We also debunked a miscaptioned video that allegedly showed an explosion of the dam but was actually taken in November 2022. Moreover, we reported on the fact that animals trapped at a zoo just downstream from the Nova Kakhovka incident drowned.